You’re exhausted, too exhausted to even think about working out. Did that big lunch you ate zap your energy? See yesterday’s blogpost for tips on eating for energy. Maybe you just walked in the door after a long day at work, maybe you just drug yourself out of bed after a restless and practically sleepless night, or maybe it’s that time of the month and you’re wiped out, the last thing on your mind is moving.
Energy Breeds Energy
It is easy to slough off an entire day or evening when your energy is zapped. Whether it’s work, lack of sleep, or just feeling a bit under the weather, the reality is that energy breeds energy. I am a proponent of taking entire days off to rest and we will address that in this series. However, today we are talking more about initial inertia. Inertia is the resistance to change.
Countering Initial Resistance
Countering inertia only takes a few minutes because once a body is set in motion it tends to stay in motion. Once you overcome the initial resistance to change your sluggish state, the energy you set in motion will keep you moving. Studies show it only takes about 15 minutes a day.
Start a Morning Routine
The best time of day to start moving is when you first get up. I like to ease into it. I get up brush my teeth, wash my face, put on a work out outfit, and turn on my morning playlist. This is my morning routine. My playlist is, you guessed it, 15 minutes long.
Sometimes I just sit on the floor and stretch to the entire first song. But do you know what is happening? As I am moving, my blood is carrying oxygen to every cell in my body. My warm up includes moving every joint and stretching every muscle from head to toe.
Once you are warmed up, spending the next 12 minutes in whatever type of fitness training you like comes resistance free. Maybe it’s yoga, maybe hand weights, or maybe ballet but whatever it is, this simple morning ritual is going to make you look great and feel great, too.
The Importance of Hydration
I keep a glass of water on my nightstand for my morning routine. I drink half of it before I start and the rest as I am working out. It only takes a small drop in your body’s hydration level to cause fatigue during physical exercise.
Dehydration is one of the quickest ways to zap your energy levels as well as other physical impairments. For our focus on maximizing physical energy, understand that even mild dehydration can cause low energy levels.
Hydration helps facilitate blood flow, increased oxygen levels increase energy levels. Hydration helps regulate the body’s temperature control, decreases fatigue, increases motivation, and improves physical and mental performance.
How Much Water Do You Need?
Although researchers are still debating how much water we need, the recommended 8 glasses of 8 ounces is still a good rule of thumb. However, many experts claim our thirst mechanism will let us know when we need to drink.
In addition, look for signs of swelling in your fingers or stiffness in your joints. Sometimes even hunger signals are really telling you you need to drink. And when you do satisfy your thirst signal, drink fresh pure water without any sugary additives.
You need to increase water consumption to maintain hydration during your workout, in hot weather, or anytime you’ve been perspiring.
The Advantage of Morning Workouts
Getting up fifteen minutes early to get in a quick workout will make the rest of the minutes in your day much more productive. Morning workouts mean you won’t have to worry about missing a workout when things get hectic in the afternoon.
To combat an afternoon slump, take a walk around the neighborhood after work, the dog will look forward to that. Maybe just put on an after work playlist and dance in the kitchen while you are cooking dinner.
Drink Water and Move
Reach for a cool, refreshing glass of pure water when you feel thirsty or hungry. When you are properly hydrating and moving your body, your energy is boosted by the increased oxygen reaching into every cell of your body. Not only is your physical energy boosted but your mental clarity and alertness will benefit, too.
Just move intentionally for 15 minutes a day and you’ll be up and running for the other 15 waking hours in your day.
Get Connected
For other ways to boost your energy, subscribe to my blog. This week I’ve been sharing about increasing and maintaining your physical energy. Next month we will focus on energy boosts for your mental, spiritual, and environmental health.
I’d love to hear what morning routines you use to boost your physical energy throughout the day. Scroll down to comment below or click on the link to my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/brixeyks